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Bacon, Mushroom and Chicken Quesadilla with Honey Dijon Sauce

It’s not very Mexican at all, but I’ve found that a quesadilla is the best way to combine bacon, mushrooms and chicken, and I love being able to dip my food. You can make these one at a time, but this particular recipe is rounded up to 6 servings. The ingredients are:

6 medium soft tortilla shells (I prefer Mission brand)

1 lb. boneless chicken

1 package bacon

8 oz. mushrooms

6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

6 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

dijon mustard (Maille is my favorite)

honey

1 tbsp. sour cream

I usually cook the chicken and bacon hours or even a full day before, so it’s cool and easy to chop into small pieces the day I make the quesadillas. For the chicken, I’ll quickly sear each side, then put in a cooking dish with a mixture of honey and dijon for simmering. It helps to add a tsp of vinegar as well, to make the chicken more tender. You can cook the chicken at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes to over an hour, depending upon how well done you want it cooked. Cooking it for a shorter time will result in firm meat that you can cut into small chunks, cooking it for longer will allow you to shred the chicken if you prefer. Make sure the chicken is submerged in liquid, and covered to keep it from drying out.

The bacon will be cooked normally, in a skillet on medium low heat until fully cooked, then laid out on paper towels to absorb the extra fat. I usually cut the bacon into thirds with a kitchen shears prior to cooking it, since I’ll be chopping it all up later anyway, and smaller pieces are easier to cook evenly. I also save the bacon fat by draining it through a paper towel once I’m done. I use my leftover bacon fat for sauteing the mushrooms, and it also works wonderfully in cornbread or making hashbrowns.

I also prepare the sauce a few hours before as well, just because the honey works better if it’s cooled. You can put 1/3 cup of honey in a small bowl in the refrigerator for a bit, so it gets cooler and thicker. Then add 1/3 cup of dijon mustard, and a tablespoon of sour cream, and whip with a fork until it’s smooth and creamy. This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple days.

I cut the bacon and chicken into small cubes and set aside. It’s easier to get all this done prior to starting the mushrooms. Mushrooms cannot be prepared the day before, so prepare them right before starting your quesadillas. Wash your mushrooms, dry them, trim off the bottom of the stems and slice.

Mushrooms will be cooked at medium heat in a skillet. I use the leftover bacon fat, but you can use whatever oil you choose. When the mushrooms are done cooking, place them on a dish with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. You’ll want these to cool a bit before handling them.

For a single serving quesadilla you can use one medium tortilla shell and fold it over, but what I’ll demonstrate is how I usually make them, in 2 servings. Each 2-serving quesadilla will need 2 tortilla shells, approximately 1/3 of your chopped bacon, 1/3 of your chopped chicken, 1/3 of your mushrooms, and 2 oz. of each kind of cheese.

I usually start with the cheddar cheese at the bottom, then a layer of chopped chicken, a layer of bacon, then the mushrooms on that. At this point the quesadilla starts becoming unwieldy and large, and I finish it off in the pan. I’ll carefully grab the tortilla shell from each side, and then carefully place it in a large skillet at medium-low heat.

After I’ve safely gotten the quesadilla to the skillet, I’ll then put the top layer of jack cheese , and the top tortilla shell. The reason this is cooked on a lower heat than normal quesadilla is because you’ll want the top layer of cheese to be able to melt a bit, to glue the whole thing together. Flipping without tossing food bits all over is going to be very tricky, but you’ll get it with practice. Wait until the bottom is a golden brown color, then flip.

Then just cook the other side until it’s the same golden brown color.

When your quesadilla is fully cooked, cut it into 8 pieces. Each serving is 4 pieces, and you’ll arrange them nicely on the plate with a small bowl of honey dijon sauce.